Stories of wars that have reached a stalemate are nothing new, but here the idea is given a fresh and original feel with the inclusion of Adam. When he is discovered by Runa and Linden, he has been alone for over two hundred years and has no idea that instead of robots working for humans, and being programmed to cause them no harm, they have been bitterly fighting them as a result of how they perceive they have been treated and he is at a loss to know what has gone wrong. With his higher level of programming, and ability to question what is happening and make reasoned judgements about what he experiences, Adam shows a huge amount of humanity but his inability to empathise with flesh and blood people leads him to not quite fit in with either side. By applying logic and learning about the world as it now exists, he is forced to reappraise everything he thinks he knows and act in accordance with his conscience to try to bring about peace. Surrounded by enemies who want to use him, and allies who mistrust him, Adam must decide who – and what – he really is.

Another small gripe I have is that the book is pretty thin on physical description of the characters, and we get almost no idea of the appearance of the main human character, Linden. I found that this makes Linden rather hard to imagine and relate to. Adam-2 is a robot that has been living alone beneath the post-apocalyptic city of Edinburgh. When Linden and Runa stumble into his cell, they are immediately seized with fear. Why? Because humans are at war with all robots, and have been for generations. The artificial intelligence that humans created to serve its wants and needs eventually turned on them and attempted to wipe them out. Society as we know it collapsed, and the few humans that survived now continue to do so by hiding their whereabouts from the ever-watchful robots. I would largely agree with bsgbsm1 - the setting, the vibe, the overall storyline worked and was as, if not more, darkly realizedas LMA1! Adam is a robot who describes himself as, “Adam version two point zero, a prototype experimental artificial entity.” He has been living in the basement of an abandoned building for over two hundred years when he is discovered by two children, Runa and Linden. Adam follows them into the outside world that has been ruined by a civil war between humans and robots. In this book we follow Adam-2 who has been in a basement for well over 200 years. Everyday as each day came to a close he would mark it off on the wall. Everywhere the eye could see there were marks.The characters were all wonderful. By this, I don't mean that they were all good, as there were a lot that were more grey than simply good or bad, but they all fit into the story wonderfully. I loved the inclusion of a non-binary character and their preferred pronouns, especially in a book where gender wasn't one of the main themes. I also really loved that one of the main protagonists was non-binary and used neo-pronouns. This was just accepted as normal and I think its really great that kids can see this kind of representation in fiction - whether for themselves personally or just to gain a better and more empathetic understanding of those who may be different from them.

I have been thinking of the process of creation a lot. When as human we plan to create something (be it a chair, cooking food, growing a tree or anything else), we always start the process by: What I will talk about is how I felt whilst reading. Right from the beginning, this book was pulling at my heartstrings, making me smile and posing interesting questions for me to ponder in between reading. I loved the skillful way the author wrote scenes that were so simple on first glance but actually conveyed complex ideas and questions. With a diverse cast of complex characters, an exhilarating plot and a real sense of peril, Adam-2 is a breathtaking science fiction thriller. In fact, the book is more than that as it also raises challenging moral and ethical questions about right and wrong and whether violence or murder can ever be justified. In his isolated basement room, Adam has followed the same daily routine for over 200 years: breakfast, schoolwork, speaking practice, playtime, chores, dinner, bed.

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Could Adam-2 hold the key to saving the world by destroying one side and saving the other? And, if so, which side should he save? James and I have known each other for years and have always rooted for each other to succeed,” Johnson wrote. “It’s no different now, and I will always root for DC (and Marvel) to win and WIN BIG.”